Web Quality - Important HTML Elements
<DOCTYPE>, <title>, and <h1> are important
tags to web page quality.
The <DOCTYPE> Element
Doctype means a "document type declaration" (DTD).
All HTML and XHTML pages should use a <Doctype> element to define which HTML
version it conforms to.
The doctype defines which version of HTML you are using, and gives important
information to your browser so it can render your page faster and more
consistently.
The doctype declaration also allows validating software to check the syntax
of your page:
HTML 4.01 Strict, Transitional, Frameset
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Frameset//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/frameset.dtd">
XHTML 1.0 Strict, Transitional, Frameset
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Frameset//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-frameset.dtd">
XHTML 1.1 DTD
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
Read more about DTD,
Doctype and
Page Validation at W3Schools.
The <title> Element
The <title> element is one of the most important HTML
elements. Its main function is to describe the content of a web page.
Even if the title is not a visible part of your web page, it is important to
the quality of your web site because it will be visible in
- search engine lists
- the windows title bar
- users bookmarks
The title should be as short and descriptive as possible.
When a user searches the internet for web sites, most search engines will
display the title of your web site in the search result. Make sure the title
match the content the user is looking for. Then it is more likely he will click
on the link to visit your web site.
When the user is visiting your website, the title will be visible in the
windows title bar. Make sure the title describes your site even when the window
is minimized.
After the user has visited your website, the title of your web pages will be
stored in his history folder (or even in his favorites folder). Make sure the
title clearly describes your pages for a future visit.
Good title examples:
<title>HTML Tutorial</title>
<title>Introduction to XML</title>
Bad title examples:
<title>Introduction</title>
<title>Chapter 1</title>
<title>W3Schools has a collection of award winning, well
organized, and easy to understand HTML, CSS, JavaScript, DHTML, XML, XHTML, WAP,
ASP, SQL tutorials with lots of working examples and source code. </title>
The <h1> Element
The <h1> element is used to describe the top level header of a web page.
Because some web browsers display the <h1> element in a very large font by
default, some web developers will use the <h2> element instead of the <h1>
element for top level headers. This will not confuse the reader, if he is a
person, but it will confuse most search engines and other software that will try
to "understand" the structure of the web page.
Make sure you use <h1> for top level headers, <h2> and <h3> for lower levels.
Try to structure your web page headers after this template:
This is the main header
Some initial text
This is a level 2 header
Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and
sentences. Paragraph and sentences.
This is a level 3 header
Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and
sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and
sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and sentences.
This is a level 3 header
Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and
sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and
sentences. Paragraph and sentences. Paragraph and sentences.
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If you don't like the default size for headers, use styles or a style sheet
to change it.
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